text:
Segregation by any other name
New York City's "gifted and talented" program is a justification for tracking students.
In the whole world you know
There's a billion boys and girls
Who are young, gifted, and Black.
And that's a fact!
SORRY NINA Simone, but the New York City Department of Education disagrees.
While African Americans and Latinos make up two-thirds of the children in the city's public elementary schools, they are barely a quarter of the students in the city's gifted and talented (G&T) programs. Only six students qualified last year in the South Bronx's entire school district. By comparison, in the two districts covering Manhattan south of Harlem, over 6,000 students make the grade.
The New York Times pointed out that in these wealthy parts of the city, "more students scored at or above the 90th percentile on the entrance exam, the cutoff point, than scored below it." Compared to the Upper West Side, Garrison Keillor's bucolic fictional town from National Public Radio--where "all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average"--is downright mediocre. Shut down Lake Wobegon High!
The phrase "gifted and talented" suggests classrooms of extraordinary children-–perhaps even X-Men-style mutants--who need a unique environment of super-collider labs and isolated writers' cabins to reach their amazing potential.
Actually, G&T admission is based on standardized tests, which primarily measure the ability of a young child to sit still, follow instructions, and have a parent with the time and energy to know about the test and read children's stories aloud each night. Sure, I know many teachers who would view working in a school full of such children as a great gift, but we're not exactly talking about A Beautiful Mind here.
The rhetoric about "gifted and talented" is really a nice justification for tracking students. It's one of many programs in New York City, which has abandoned the concept of the neighborhood high school, that are supposed to empower families by giving them a choice of schools. Free-market education advocates like Chester Finn make "school choice" sound like the most logical idea in the world:
It is crazy to think that every school in America is right for every child in America. Schools are supposed to be different from each other. They specialize. Some work better for some kids, and others work better for other kids. If you're not musically talented, there is not much point in going to a music-centric charter school....Some should specialize in smart kids, some should specialize in violin players, some should specialize in disabled kids, some should specialize in kids who adore baseball.
As Finn indicates, school choice is at least as much about schools choosing their students as students choosing their schools. As Finn doesn't indicate--and school choice advocates rarely do--when all the choosing is finished, violin playing and baseball adoring seem to have less correlation to what school you end up in than the color of your skin.
Schools across the country are more segregated today than they were when segregation was legal in the 1950s. It's odd that Barack Obama's Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who routinely refers to improving education as "the new civil rights movement," seems unconcerned that we're going backward from what the old civil rights movement was fighting for. Duncan hasn't made racial integration one of the criteria for his Race to the Top program, and none of the other prominent "education reformers," like Michelle Rhee or the Gates Foundation, have made it a priority either.
In New York City, home of education reformer/media baron/multibillionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the official response to the news about racial disparity in the city's Gifted and Talented program was a shrug.
"Let's be clear," Education Chancellor Dennis Walcott told the Wall Street Journal. "Just because they don't qualify for 'gifted and talented' doesn't mean they're not getting a high-quality education. Those who may not qualify for gifted and talented or just don't bother to take the test, they have high-quality schools, and that's our overall goal."
In other words, says the man who used to be the head of the New York Urban League, the separate schools that kids of color attend are not necessarily unequal.
If Walcott's response seemed straight out of the 1950s, he went for more of a '60s vibe in the same interview, saying that segregation in G&T schools "is what it is." Hey man, I don't stress over institutionalized structures of racial and class oppression. It brings down my vibe.
Education reformers are tireless fighters for civil rights when it comes to the closing of schools and scapegoating of teachers, but they lose interest when actual racial justice issues don't mesh with their agenda. If there were tanks rolling down U.S. streets in support of bilingual education and giving raises to experienced African American teachers, I honestly think that Michelle Rhee would risk her life to lie down in front of those tanks. But systematic and widespread segregation? Yawn.
Dennis Walcott is technically correct that racial exclusion in G&T is what it is--although it would have been really trippy and dialectical to say that it is what it isn't. But that's not a very useful observation. It would be more relevant for the chancellor to point out that this segregation has gotten worse as a result of the Bloomberg administration's decision four years ago to make G&T programs based solely on tests scores, and not on the discretion of district officials.
Bloomberg and Walcott routinely demand that teachers produce measurable improvement in student test scores regardless of their students' living conditions, and they dismiss any objections that this is unrealistic as whiny excuses. But here we have test results that can't be blamed on teachers because the G&T exam is given to children before they've even started school.
I suppose the administration could try to scapegoat thousands of aunties and abuelitas who care for pre-school kids while their parents are at work because the city's pre-kindergarten program is woefully short of seats. But I imagine that even Michael Bloomberg doesn't want to mess with those ladies. Instead, the city simply refused to release any racial data about the G&T until it was legally obligated by a public records requests by the Wall Street Journal.
OH, BY the way, the racial bias of the G&T--which finds white children to be three times as likely to be gifted as Black children and seven times as likely as Latino children--also proves that admissions tests are a sham. After all, even if you believe that there's some measurable notion of unique ability, then you will seek--if you're not a Nazi--proof of your tests' validity precisely in the fact that they find roughly equal numbers of gifted kids across the city's vast racial and economic divides.
This isn't unusual. The education reformers and corporate lobbyists push all sorts of high-stakes test that are riddled with errors. Seattle teachers have boycotted the MAP test in part because "the margin of error is greater than expected gains." Houston and New York have used--and published--teacher evaluation tests that have a margin of error of over 50 percent.
Meaning that the test itself would fail most tests.
The fact that education officials are so passionate about imposing these tests but then so apathetic about making sure they're accurate is revealing. They like standardized tests because they produce "data"--valid or not. Data concentrates authority and decision-making power in the hands of politicians and business, and takes it away from educators.
Even Gifted and Talented programs aren't immune from the power grab. This month, Queens residents were shocked to find out that the city plans to drastically reduce a popular local G&T with no community input--reportedly to accommodate the plans of Bloomberg ally Eva Moscowitz to open up two charter schools in the neighborhood.
These parents and teachers are finding out the same lesson as thousands of others in less fortunate but equally vital schools facing closure by Bloomberg's unelected Panel for Educational Policy: Democracy and community control matter.
We need to wrest control of our schools away from the modern-day segregationists, and put it in the hands of parents and teachers who believe that all children have talents and gifts that need to be nurtured, rather than ranked.


text:
That's oh-be-GUY-n, not oh-be-GIN, as some (primarily people from Texas) would like to refer to my chosen profession. Although, working in this field can sometimes cause one to develop a penchant for gin...hmmm.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
I was hoping to really kick into high gear this weekend, but I have been on call, so I was at the hospital until almost 2 am on Saturday morning doing a delivery. I slept in until 10, went in for rounds, and then my whole Saturday from noon until midnight was spent at the hospital watching over one of OtherDoc's VBACs. It is hospital policy that the physician be on site the entire time a VBAC is laboring (with good reason, of course). I am always up for a good VBAC, and the patient seemed like a good candidate with a few vaginal deliveries, then one emergency section for fetal distress. The frustrating part is that the patient got to completely dilated, pushed twice, and then simply refused to push anymore and demanded another section (a mere 8 hours after she had been offered an elective repeat C-section in the first place!) The baby was low, but not quite low enough to put on forceps or a vacuum, so off to the OR we went. Since the baby was so low in the pelvis at the time of C-section and the lower uterine segment was paper thin, the uterine incision extended into the broad ligament on both sides, causing lots of bleeding and venous oozing, and the bladder was pretty traumatized as well. To add fun to the surgery, the patient seemed to be feeling everything we did to the uterus, despite anesthesia's best efforts, refused to be put to sleep, and instead kept a running commentary throughout the entire surgery about her discomfort (despite a truckload of fenta.nyl and verse.d). Her urine was blood-tinged prior to and immediately after the surgery, and I checked the bladder integrity prior to finishing, but I'm still fretting over an occult injury this morning. Sigh. I'm keeping her Foley in until her urine starts to clear and keeping my fingers crossed.
I also had a few notable moments in clinic this week. The grossest of which involved one of my young, teenaged OB patients. We had done her GBS swab and checked her (closed) cervix because she was complaining of irregular contractions. Her blood pressure had been slightly elevated on our automatic cuff, so, as per routine, we had her relax on her left side, and planned to return to take a manual blood pressure. When my nurse returned to re-check her pressure, she and her boyfriend were *having sex* in the exam room on one of the chairs! Squick! My nurse kicked the boyfriend out, pulling up his pants as he went. Needless to say, the patient's blood pressure was even *higher* on re-check. The real kicker is that we sent her with orders for labs and a 24 hour urine to check for protein, and her mother (a nurse) called, concerned about whether we should pull her daughter from school since her blood pressure was climbing. I couldn't tell her mother that I expected the elevated pressure was more due to the girl being all hot and bothered in my office than to pre-ecclampsia! At any rate, the last thing she needs is to be out of school so that she can fool around more. SuperNurse swabbed the whole room down (including the chair) with alcohol, and closed that room to patients for the rest of the afternoon. What is wrong with people?!
Honorable mention clinic moments include the school teacher that complained that she had to work on Thursday and Friday (essentially a two day week) after the schools had been closed due to weather issues on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. "They should have just given us the whole week off!" she whined. I teased her and told her we should switch jobs. She then said, "Oh I would much rather do what *you* do!" Hm, so you are complaining about *having* to work a two day week, and you want to trade time off for bad weather (not to mention summers, holidays, and weekends off) for being on-call 24 hours a day, up to 14 days in a row? Call me crazy, but I think not. The other came from a patient on whom I am planning a tubal ligation. She wanted to be certain that her fiance was not told that she was having her tubes tied. Of course, it is none of his business what she does with her body, or how she chooses to practice contraception, but it seems like a suspect way to enter into a marriage. It is a sticky ethical situation, and while I know the proper thing to do with respect to the patient's right to privacy, I still can't help but feel odd about the situation.
So anyway, there is your latest installment of whining and moaning. Don't you feel better? I know I do. On the bean front, I am 16 weeks and 2 days, and I just had my Quad screen drawn this week. I'm still puking most mornings, and still taking Z.ofran every day. I think I may have felt movement this week a few times, but I am not certain. We find out in a couple of weeks what we are having. I'm still not sure what I think. I can't imagine not having another girl, but everyone else around me seems to be getting the "boy vibe." We shall see. Thank you guys for coming back to check on me, I will try to be better about updating the blog. I really do enjoy it when I get the chance. Have a great week!
15 comments:
- Amanda said...
Do we get to find out what you're having?
I hope your nausea disappears soon. Seems like around the 16 week mark was when mine did. - 2/11/2007 4:37 PM
I have a whole new respect for obgyns. Can I say EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. Can't you terminate her for that kind of behavior. That is disgusting. I am guessing since she was getting a GBS swab she was 35-36 weeks. It must be nice to be able to still do that type of thing that far along. I never wanted to be touched with a 10 foot pole then. Course I have never gone past 36 weeks either. Hang in there. We will wait for ya.
I'm a med student from Australia who stumbled upon your blog and haven't been able to stop reading it! I've always thought of an internal medicine field such as oncology or infectious diseases but your words have inspired me to look further into Ob/Gyn. Hope you keep writing, best of luck with the little bean and a big thanks for inspiring a meddie to hit the books! - 2/11/2007 10:36 PM
Great entry. I'm glad you're feeling better.
- Ottoette said...
Glad to see you back! I am jealous you're feeling movement at 16 wks when I have only felt movement ONCE at 21 weeks. I guess it's all the extra "fluffiness" I have. If you figure out how to "catch-up" please let me know. I am close to taking some time off just to get the house caught up!
You have some crazy patients. :)
It's good to hear that the bean is progressing well. Isn't 16 weeks about time for you to start feeling better? Best wishes on that front. - 2/12/2007 3:37 PM
- Jawndoejah said...
My levels were higher than I've had testing because I believe I'm farther along than I have been before with these beta and progesterone tests. HCG 68,000 (not a typo, 68,000), and Progesterone 18.7. With my wacky cycles, I think I should have waited a week past my cycle day 52 hpt and maybe would have had an early positive. Bloodwork was taken on cycle day 99. I beleive I'm 7-9 weeks along. Sonogram tomorrow for dating.
- Jacqui said...
Eewww! Can't believe what you have to put up with. Hope your week goes well.
Love your blog by the way. - 2/12/2007 7:50 PM
- Jawndoejah said...
I had my sonogram yesterday. It showed a healthy, moving little squiggly person with a heartbeat of 166 bpm. The baby is measuring 10 weeks along. Whew, I got through the most of morning sickness. I have been feeling ill, but chalked it up to residual problems from the stomache bug in January. I also eat poorly at times, and thought I might be having a reaction to sugar/lactose. It was just hormones. Eating better now, no choice (anything bad for me makes me feel icky).
- Bo... said...
I know the feeling. I still have unpacking to do from when I moved into this apartment last October. And my roots....ugh...
- Laura said...
ick, ick, ick on the teen patient and her boyfriend. we had a couple doing the nasty during an overnight stay with their baby where they are supposed to do all the care overnight:meds, feeds, etc.
congrats on 16 weeks. hope the ms goes away for you real soon. - 2/15/2007 11:45 AM
- S. said...
First, congrats!
Second, hope you get a hair appt. soon, mine is quite scarey now too!
Third...OMG--I cannot believe that girl was having sex in your office. THat is just disgusting! Ick!
But a good story none-the-less! - 2/15/2007 7:51 PM
- Shawnee said...
Wow, that teenager needs to be taught about where to have sex if she wants to continue doing that sort of thing! WOW, that really shows how moronic some people can be!
- dr. whoo? said...
amanda~ Hi! Of course I'll blab about what I'm having, if the bean will cooperate, that is. I actually had one whole Zofran-free day this weekend, but I paid dearly for that this morning. Ah, well.
missgamecock~ Yes, ew is right! I suppose we could make a case for terminating her, but she is close to term, and that doesn't give her a whole lot of time to find a new doc and establish care. She's obviously just not thinking clearly right now. I saw this couple back this week, and they were sooooo mortified.
icania~ Hello and welcome! I am so glad that you are enjoying the blog and that it has inspired you to perhaps broaden your medical horizons. I thought that I wanted to do Derm when I first started med school (all about the lifestyle, ha!) but I found when I rotated through Derm, all I did was itch and be grossed out! (Ah, what I wouldn't give for that lifestyle, though, sigh.) Good luck with your studies :)
anon~ Hi and thank you! Most days, life is very good.
ottoette~ Ha! I'm plenty "fluffy" in the abdominal area, but I do think that my placenta is posterior and fundal this time around. The movements that I do feel are few and far between, and very subtle. With CindyLou, I had an anterior placenta, and I couldn't distinguish true movement consistently until about 22 weeks. If I took time off from work to clean house, I would do what I did all weekend long...absolutely nothing. Bleargh. Hope all is well with you!
alice~ My dear, you are correct. My patients *are* crazy! In theory, yes, you are supposed to be feeling better after the 12th, 14th, and even 16th week, but someone forgot to tell my body that. I am the world's worst pregnant person. Kind of funny, isn't it?
jawndoejah~ Thanks for the updates! Congratulations on the heartbeat and new little one! I hope you are feeling better soon. Have you gotten over the shock, yet?
jacqui~ Welcome, and thank you for reading. Luckily, patients like that are the exception rather than the rule, or I'd be certifiable! :)
bhr~ Hee, unpacking, I still haven't unpacked my closet. Ack, my roots and my eyebrows. I resolve to call the salon this week.
laura~ Well, that's probably what they'll be doing at home, too. I just don't know where these people get the energy! Maybe I'm just jealous? Nah. ;) Ah well, at least the morning sickness isn't all-day sickness... it was much worse with CindyLou, so I guess I can grin and bear it.
s.~ Hi! Thanks for the congrats :)
I. will. call. the. hairdresser. this. week. I think I have about an inch of growth. Shudder. And, yes, a good story, to be certain.
shawnee~ Hello! I'm telling you, people are flat out weird. It's like they got all turned on by the cervical checking or something (ick, ick, ick). I can't imagine what labor with these two is going to be like. - 2/18/2007 4:24 PM
Well - I am glad that couple was mortified! Maybe their is hope that they will become civilized yet!
The 'can you top it' story is the one from my work - when a PP nurse went to do her initial rounds on nightshift and found the couple in the same little hospital bed having sex - 2 days after delivery!
Talk about EWWWWWWWW and top it with an OWWWWWWW! - 2/19/2007 12:34 PM

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Columns Retired Columns & Blogs |
Those Durable Bottles
I believe it was 1958 when I first heard a transistorized audio product. The Fisher TR-1 was a small battery-powered box that provided microphone preamplification and inputs for three magnetic phono sources.
Footnote 1: Pontius Pilate would have queried, "What is truth tube or transistor?"J. Gordon Holt
I remember being completely bowled over by the sound. It did some things far better than any tubed component I had heard, and I was so impressed by those things that I did not at first detect the things the TR-1 was doing worse than tubes. I am confident that I would run screaming from the room were I to listen to it today, though a lot of its shortcomings were doubtless being masked by complementary shortcomings in the loudspeakers of that day.
Soon the TR-1 was joined in a proliferation of more sophisticated and better sounding solid-state components, some of which did many things well enough that I, and the audio community at large, was confidently predicting that Lee De Forest's little glass bottle, the clumsy old vacuum tube with its finite life and its wasteful generation of heat, would be dead and gone within 10 years. Twenty five years later, the vacuum tube is not only still with us, it is enjoying a renaissance among audio perfectionists.
What is the continuing attraction of this technological dinosaur? Certainly not convenience, reliability, or cost. A tube is very inconvenient to use, requiring as it does plenty of space around it for ventilation and a separate, high-current power supply for its heater (fig.1). Its microphonic tendencies are evident in high-gain circuits, and a tube needs special flexible mounting to keep vibration away from it.
Fig.1 An amplifying vacuum tube consists of at least four basic components: the heater (1) which agitates the electrons on the surrounding cathode (2) so that they more easily escape, weaving their way through the grid (3), which modulates the current flowon their meny way to the anode (4).
It's not very reliable either; output tubes tend to break down at the drop of a hat, and even a tube that doesn't suffer heater burnout before its estimated lifetime will, as inevitably as a living organism, come to its demise. Even worse, the sound of many tubes deteriorates over time, a known cause of tremens audiophilius.
Given enough time, every tube will wear out and have to be replaced. Which brings us to cost, another thing definitely not in the tube's favor. Premium brands tend to be quite expensive, ranging from $10 for a low-current, dual-triode 12AX7 to $30 or more for a high-current output tube like the EL-34.
What, then, does the vacuum tube have going for it? Nothing at all, except its sound. And that sound is so unlike solid-state sound that a tube enthusiast can tell one from the other immediately. Solid-state components tend to be crisp and sharply-etched at the high end, somewhat laid-back through the presence range (as though the instruments reproduced were slightly backed off from the recording mikes), and very taut and deep at the low end. Tubed components tend to be a bit soft at the extreme topthough this is less true for the very best modern componentsrather forward and alive through the upper middle range, some what warm and ill-defined through the mid bass, and weak at the extreme bottomagain, less true of the best designs like the Berning 2100 and the EAR 509. They also seem to reproduce depth and front-to-back perspectives better than do transistorized components, sometimes with an uncanny feeling of three-dimensionality around the sound sources.
The tube sound has been described as "musical" by those who like it, and as "euphonically colored" by those who don't. It is in fact a little of both. Livemusic highs do tend to be more soft than crisp, and the overall sound is somewhat warmer and richer in spectral balance than is usually heard from solid-state electronics. While many tubed components seem to overdo these qualities, it can be argued just as convincingly that many solid-state components underdo them, making the sound too lean, dry, and crisp. (This sounds like a discussion of fried chicken.)
Many observers have suggested through the years that the ultimate truthtrue accuracymay lie somewhere between the sounds of tubes and transistors (footnote 1). And indeed, there is increasing evidence that this may in fact be the case, as some of the best solid-state products come to sound increasingly like tubes, and tubed products have picked up the virtues of transistors: extended bandwith at top and bottom. Yet the characteristic differences persist, and to those who hear those differences, there is often little choice. Either they prefer the tube sound, or they prefer solid-state sound. Yet few are able to explain their preference, except in such simplistic terms as "more musical" or "more accurate" or, lamely, "I prefer it."
The continuing consumer interest in tubes still baffles most of the so-called scientific communityaka the test-bench crowd. Seemingly unable to hear what all the fuss is about, or to cite measurements which correlate with the differences audiophiles claim to hear, they cast about for "rational" explanations of the observation that relatively high distortion measurements (tubes) should sound better to some listeners than products with vanishingly low measured distortion.
The most commonly heard explanation is that tubes "overload more gracefully. " This is often actually true, because the transistor's superior (or exaggerated?) detail makes the tiniest amount of waveform clipping immediately and obnoxiously evident. Not only that, the nature of tube clipping is more like a compression (fig.2) where the transistor-clipped waveform is an irritating-to-the-ear truncation (fig.3). But that argument can't hold all the water, because the things that distinguish tube sound from transistor sound are audible at all output levels, including those far below the component's overload point. (Nonetheless, many rock musicians prefer tubed amplifiers for use with their gee-tars and Fender basses because they do sound better when overdriven to the excessive levels beloved of all rock musicians.)
Fig.2 "Soft" clipping typical of tube power amplifier.
Fig.3 "Hard" clipping typical of solid-state power amplifier.
In truth, the reasons for a tube component's unique sound are not clearly understood, although there have been some canny theories presented. David Hafler (president of the Hafler Company, which makes only solid-state electronics) has hypothesized that a lot of the difference has to do with the relative distribution and strengths of the spurious harmonics generated by tubes and transistors. For example, a tubed amplifier which measures 0.05% harmonic distortion might produce two thirds of that as 3rd harmonic content and one third as 4th, whereas a transistor amp with the same measured THD may produce half of that as 3rd-order distortion and half as 4th-order.
And while the tubes may yield diminishing amounts of distortion with increasing order (5th, 6th, and so on), the transistors may yield the same content at each harmonic all the way out to the l0th. This strikes me as being one of the most convincing explanations we've heard to date, but it hardly explains all those other differences.
Bill Conrad (of Conrad Johnson Design) thinks that tubes simply obscure less of the very-low-level information that give us subtle aural clues as to the size of individual instruments and their location in space. Others have speculated that tubes are "nicer" to electrons that the electrons "like" travelling across a vacuum more than they like travelling through a semiconductor substrate (footnote 2).
It is probable that tubed amplifiers' typical weakness at the extreme low end is related to the limitations of their output transformers, whose ability to deliver LF current is directly related to the size and weight of the iron core and is thus constrained by economic realities (as well as by its movability by anyone but a sumo wrestler). But the "aliveness," midbass warmth (footnote 3), and seemingly enhanced depth all defy any explanation in terms comprehensible to design engineers.
Tubed component design remains rather much a black art, where measurements must at some point in the design process yield to the designer's subjective judgments as to how the damned thing sounds and to heck with the measurements. This is a singularly unenviable position for any designer to find himself in, for the whole area of subjective evaluation is fraught with more pitfalls than the video game. (We who skirt these pitfalls on a regular basis can sympathize more than most!) First, he must divest his listening from personal biases, and listen for what he believes consumers will listen foreasier said than done. Then he must attempt to second-guess his target market in terms of what they will like and won't. (I hear that, but will buyers consider it a strength or a weak ness?) He must convince himself that the signal sources he uses for evaluation. are, if not unquestionably accurate, at least representative of what his potential customers will use. And then there's the question of his loudspeakers, and that's a loaded question.
All loudspeakers are colored. He knows that, intellectually at least. So are all amplifiers, more or less, including his prototype tubed amp. What speakers should be used in evaluating the sound of his amplifier? And best in what respects? Electrostatics, generally, tend to have scads of detail and, often, rather thin low end. For electrostatics, he should go for a soft, "sweet" high end and a full low end. But most dynamic speakers require just the opposite qualities from an amplifier: crisp high end and tight, controlled bass. Should the sound be tailored to one kind of speaker and slight the other? Or would he do better to compromise and end up with something that sounds passably good, but not superb on either? Decisions, decisions.
As a result of all this, good tubed electronics inevitably differ in sound from one to another, much more than do good solid-state units. This raises legitimate questions regarding the "accuracy" of any of themthey can't all be accurate when they sound so different. But it also greatly enhances a buyer's opportunity of finding an amplifier that exactly meshes with his favorite speaker to produce the best sound that speaker is capable of delivering. Thus, in a perverse sort bf way, the variety of tube sounds can be an avenue toward incredibly listenable, satisfying, and accurate sound.
Tubes are not the only such avenue, of course, though I won't hesitate to admit that some of the best sound I've heard has been from systems using tubed electronics throughout. All of Sheffield Lab's recent recordings, as an example, are brought to us through the courtesy of all-tubed electronics. On the other hand, some of the best sound I have heard (in other respects) has been from solid-state systems. I could happily live with either, as long as they were hooked up to speakers which complemented their respective characteristics.
Perhaps, then, the main reason why the vacuum tube persists in audio (when the transistor has replaced it in every other area of electronics) is that it continues to provide the kind of listening pleasure that every audiophile envisioned in his mind's ear when he got into audio in the first place. I can't think of a better reason.
Footnote 1: Pontius Pilate would have queried, "What is truth tube or transistor?"J. Gordon Holt
Footnote 2: And no one wants to listen to an irritated electron.J. Gordon Holt
Footnote 3: The midbass warmth of tubes is actually not so mystical. Introducing a 30Hz rolloff point in a solid state amplifier would bring about midbass warmth also; in fact almost all rolloffs have audible results prior to the frequency where the rolloff commences on a frequency response graph.Larry Archibald


text:
- This event has passed.
Powerful Women II: Contemporary Art from the Eiteljorg Collection
June 24, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
An event every day that begins at 12:00 pm, repeating until January 18, 2022
This exhibition highlights contemporary women artists, especially Native artists, and the powerful works they have created that speak to issues of personal identity, political agency, memory and violence against women.
The Eiteljorg Museum's permanent collection is one of the most important collections of contemporary Native art in the world. Many of the pieces that will be on display were purchased or gifted to the museum through the Eiteljorg's Contemporary Art Fellowship.
The second rotation of Powerful Women is open now. Powerful Women II focuses on works by Black, Latino, Asian American and European American women contemporary artists.


text:
From Joomla! Documentation
(Redirected from Screen.banner.categories.edit.15)
How to Access[edit]
Navigate to the the Banner Category Manager. To add a new Banner Category, click on the "New" icon in the toolbar. To edit an existing Banner Category, click on the Category's Name, or check the Category's checkbox and press the "Edit" icon in the toolbar.
This is where you add a new Banner Category or edit an existing one. Note that you need to create at least one Banner Category before you can create a Banner. Also, Banner Categories are separate from other types of Categories, such as those for Articles, Contacts, and News Feeds.
Note that the screen for adding and editing Banner Categories is the same screen used to create Article Categories. However, for Banner Categories, the only required field is the Title. Published, Section, Category Order, and Access Level are not used. An Image and Description may be entered, but they are not displayed on the web site.
- Title. Enter the Title for this item.
- Alias. The internal name of the item. Normally, you can leave this blank and Joomla! will fill in a default value. The default value is the Title or Name in lower case and with dashes instead of spaces. You may enter the Alias manually. The Alias should consist of lowercase letters and hyphens (-). No blank spaces or underscores are allowed. The Alias will be used in the URL when SEF is activated. Note: If the title consists of non-Latin characters, the Alias will default to the current date and time, for example "2009-02-11-17-54-38".
- Published. This field is not used for Banner Categories.
- Section. This displays 'N/A' for not applicable, since Sections are not used for Banners.
- Category Order. This field is not used for Banner Categories.
- Access Level. This field is not used for Banner Categories.
- Image. Image for this Page. Image must be located in the folder "images/stories". You will not normally use an Image for a Banner Category, since it will not display on the page.
- Image Position. Position of the Image on the page. Select Left or Right from the drop-down list box.
- Description. Optional description for this Banner Category. This description is just for your information and will not display on any page.
- Image Button. This command is not normally used for Banner Categories.
At the top right you will see the toolbar:
- Save. Save it and return to editing the menu details.
- Apply. Save it, but stay in the same screen. If you have been working on a screen for a long time and don't want to risk losing your work, pressing Apply saves your work and lets you continue working. If, for example, you lost your Internet connection, your work will be saved up this point.
- Close. Return to the previous screen without saving your work. If you press Close while adding a new item, this new item will not be created. If you were modifying an existing item, the modifications will not be saved.
- Help. Opens this Help Screen.
Related Information[edit]
- To work with Banners: Banner Manager
- To work with Banner Clients: Banner Client Manager


text:
The National Snow and Ice Data Center announced Monday that Arctic sea ice is at its lowest extent since satellite observations began in the 1970s. The previous record, set in 2007, saw the Arctic Ocean covered with 1.61 million square miles of ice, but on Sunday, the coverage was just 1.58 million square miles. What makes this milestone especially significant is that there are still two or three weeks left to go in the melt season.
"We still have a little time left," said NSIDC's Julienne Stroeve in an interview, "but the rate of melting in August has been really fast, the fastest we've ever seen." It's starting to slow down, she said, "but I doubt we've seen the true minimum."
Arctic sea ice extent for August 26, 2012 (right) was 27,000 square miles below the September 18, 2007 daily extent (left).
Credit: National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)
It's not just a new Guinness record that's at stake here. The rapid decline in Arctic sea ice during the past several decades is one of the most visible signs of manmade global warming.
Arctic ice, whether on land or on the sea, is a powerful reflector that bounces a lot of sunlight back into space rather than letting it warm the Earth. When that ice melts, it exposes the darker ground or water underneath, turning the region into an energy absorber rather than a reflector. Sea ice is especially vulnerable to melting, and over the past 30 years or so there's been a downward trend in sea ice coverage in summer. The result is a feedback loop that accelerates global warming, with melting ice leading to more warming of the water below leading to more melting
The Arctic is warming at nearly twice the rate of the rest of the globe, largely due to those feedback loops. In addition, recent research shows that the loss of sea ice cover may be contributing to extreme weather events throughout the Northern Hemisphere, and may be partly responsible for major cold air outbreaks and paralyzing snowstorms in the northeastern U.S. and western Europe during the past few years.
This trend isn't perfectly steady, since year-to-year weather conditions can affect the melt for a particular season. In 2007, for example, Stroeve said, wind patterns brought warm air into the region and pushed significant amounts of ice out of the Arctic ocean. "This year," she said, "conditions were kind of chaotic. We did have a big storm in August that broke the ice into smaller pieces, but the breakup was easier because the ice was already thin."
The ice was thin in large part because of the meltbacks in previous summers. In places where the ice doesn't melt, any additional freezing that happens during the winter can make the so-called multi-year ice even thicker. In places where it does melt, by contrast, the winter refreezing creates thinner first-year ice, which can melt with relative ease the following summer. Since 1980, the average thickness of Arctic sea ice has been cut nearly in half.
That trend is virtually certain to continue, until at some point the Arctic Ocean will be completely ice free for at least part of the summer, turning the planet's greatest heat shield into a global-warming accelerator. Exactly when that will take place isn't clear. "Current models show this happening before 2050," Stroeve said. "But the trends we observe make me think it could happen earlier than that."


text:
Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
Water and sewer costs are determined by the prevailing rate per 1,000 cubic feet of water used during each billing period. Rate adjustments are based on a detailed cost-of-service analysis to ensure that each utility customer pays a proportionate share of the cost to provide services. All meters have a monthly Readiness-to-Serve charge regardless of usage, which varies by size of meter. Irrigation charges have a set uniform rate.
Water and sewer rates are based on volume and cover the majority of the cost of water and sewer treatment, water distribution and sewer collection. Tax revenue is not used to fund our services. The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utility Commission approves rate changes as part of the Utilities Department budget, which is also submitted to the City of Winston-Salem budget and approved by the City Council.
Your water and sewer bill may fluctuate as the seasons change. Water consumption usually increases in the spring and summer months, and your bill will reflect this increased usage. In addition, as more people are working and learning at home, water consumption may also increase.
Show All Answers
The Readiness-to-Serve Charge, formerly known as the Base Charge, is a fee implemented to cover a portion of the fixed costs associated with meter reading, billing services, and providing the availability to serve customers with service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This component of the bill includes fixed operating, maintenance and capital costs for both the water and the sewer systems that the utility bears in order to ensure the availability of clean and safe service to all customers, whether they use the service or not. The Readiness-to-Serve Charge is set based on the meter size so that operational costs associated with replacing, reading and rebuilding the meter, as well as providing adequate flow and pressure to those meters, are covered. The factors that apply to how the Readiness-to-Serve Charge is set are established by the American Water Works Association.
Water meters are generally located in the front yard of the residence to allow access by Utilities Department employees.
A non-refundable service initiation fee of $30 is charged to all customers requesting water and wastewater service and appears on the first bill. This fee covers the costs associated with account setup, service activation in the field, and applies to all accounts that are activated on a yearly basis, such as irrigation meters.
Please call City Link 311 or 336-727-8000.
A pink or black film on fixtures may be caused by an airborne fungus called Aspergillus sp. that is commonly found in bathrooms and kitchens. The fungus reproduces by spreading spores via air that land on moist surfaces, which are ideal conditions for its growth. A cleaning solution of one part bleach to five parts water, or commercial products containing bleach are effective to kill the fungus and remove most stains.
Learn more on our Black Mold Fact Sheet (PDF) & Pink Stuff Fact Sheet (PDF).
Earthy and musty odors are usually caused by algae in our raw water that produce two compounds: Geosmin, which causes earthy tastes and odors, and 2-methylisoborneol (commonly referred to as MIB), which causes musty odors. The algae that produce these compounds are normally present in the summer when conditions are warm and better-suited for algal growth. These compounds are very difficult to remove during the purification process and while some people find the taste unpleasant, they are not harmful when consumed. Our treatment process utilizes powered activated carbon (PAC) and we actively manage our raw water sources to minimize algal growth.
To request your water be tested, please call City Link 311 or 336-727-8000.
Occasionally, you may become aware of what appears to be sewage-related odor in your neighborhood. While most often these odors are the result of shifts in weather patterns, an odor can also signal a ruptured or clogged line. To report an odor, please call City Link 311 or 336-727-8000.
No. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities does not solicit testing from our customers. We perform regular testing at our Water Treatment Plants and in the distribution system. We're constantly monitoring our water for potentially harmful chemicals and bacteria. If there is a need to perform a sample test, you will be in contact with a clearly identifiable WSFC Utilities representative.


text:
Angie Dickinson performs Steve Reich's Clapping Music while beating up Lee Marvin – just about the best thing ever, if you're a music geek
Unfortunately for Dickinson – you can't beat up Lee Marvin.
Clapping Music is a minimal work from 1972 that explores the idea of shifting the phase relationship of two copies of the same 12/8 rhythmic pattern.
via petervanderham, sequenza21


text:
At Milan Supari Co we have over 60 years of experience in manufacturing foods. Since 1962 we have been making some of India's favourite foods like Supari Products, Betel Spices, Mouth Fresheners and many others. Our products are enjoyed across the country and all over the world. You can rest assured about the quality of any of our products, all of which are manufactured under license from the FSSAI authority and made in accordance with the highest manufacturing standards. Our ingredients are carefully selected, our flavours are diligently blended and our products are packed to ensure freshness and safety. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us by Phone, Email or WhatsApp.
Milan Betel Spice Mix - 2 Bottles
Label of the Product/Bottle:
100% Vegetarian.
Manufactured by: Milan Supari Co. Pvt. Ltd. At Plot No. 109-D, Road No. 29, Sion (E), Mumbai-400 022. Registered Office: 157, Sheriff Devji Street, Mumbai-400003.
Customer Care Cell: 02223422632.
Net Wt. 70g.
Maximum retail price ₹100 per bottle.
Inclusive of all taxes.
Made in India.
Registered Trade Mark 234353, 316306, and 481681.
Imitation of Trade Mark is a punishable offence.
Store in a clean, cool and dry place.
Beware of imitation and duplicate goods.
Ingredients: Fennel seeds, Dry dates and Cardamom, Saccharin Sodium. Contains added flavour (Natural and natural identical flavouring substances) (spice flavour).
A Proprietary Food Product: Pan Flavouring Material.
This product contains saccharin sodium.
Not recommended for children.
Quantity of sugar added 0g.
Nutritional Info per 100g of product
Energy: 444.4Kcal
Carbohydrate: 49.8g (of which sugar: 13.8g)
Fat: 17.8g
Protein: 21.2g
*Approximate Value.
Contains artificial sweetener and for the calorie conscious.
Best before 6 months from the date of packaging.
The product images shown are for illustration purposes only and may not be an exact representation of the product.


text:
Gate Repair 90078

Service Location Information

Gate Repair 90078

Address: 90078, Ca
Call us : (877) 616-7770

Also visit us on:

Gate Repair 90078
 - Residential and Commercial

Welcome to Angel Gate Repair in 90078 California. We are the leading gate repair and installation company in 90078 and surrounding areas. We repair and install ALL slide, swing, overhead, barrier, and custom iron gates. We also do new gate opener installations and repair (including gate opener component repair and replacement). Our most requested service is for residential gate repair, as it is one of the most used automatic/electric and manual exterior parts of a house. The gate is designed to secure your home, mark the perimeter of your land, and enhance the curb appeal of your property.

Without regular service, your mechanical gate will begin to malfunction. You may experience a gate that is failing to open/close; the gate opener may fail to respond to your wireless gate remote control. You may visually see broken parts of your gate like a snapped chain, broken gate wheel, or bent Iron Gate bars. These are some of the examples that we repair when we receive service calls from our customers.

The commercial gate is very similar to the residential gate, except for the additional options that it may come with and the power of the gate opener. The size of the gate may also be much larger, as a commercial property has more land to secure and cover.

Many industrial properties feature options like the gate card reader, intercom, solar power for the gate opener, and underground safety devices such as the exit loop detector.
Due to high amount of traffic, that many commercial properties may have your parts will be under a lot of use; without regular inspections and maintenance, your commercial gate will stop working. Lack of lubrication may break the bearings in the slide/swing gate, rotten out seals in the gate opener may cause the nature to rust the internal parts such as the motherboard and the gate radio receiver, not to mention the rodents and insects and what kind of damage they can cause.

Besides all the issues that your commercial or residential gate may be facing, we recommend that you call use before they arise or begin to cause more problems to the surrounding gate components. Give Angel Gate Repair in 90078 a call today to have us inspect your faulty gate, or simply perform a maintenance call.

New Gate Installation 90078

If you are looking for a new gate installation service in 90078 for your property, we are here to help. If you need ideas or already know what you are looking for, than give us a call today to schedule a free in-person estimate and consultation. We are able to install small pedestrian side gate, or multi-acre fencing + slide/swing or custom gate around your home and/or business. With new products currently available on the market (solar, Wi-Fi, smart touch) we can also update your current look and feel, adding user-friendly function ability and safety.

Automatic Gate Repair 90078

Angel Gate Repair Service in 90078 includes repair on all automatic gates. Any gate that is not operated by hand is considered an automatic gate. There are many different types of automatic gates that are currently installed in 90078 homes and businesses; most popular would be slide, swing, and overhead. Most of these gates will be powered by an electric or solar motor such as a LiftMaster, Eagle, Mighty Mule, Doorking (DKS), Viking, All-O-Matic, and Ramset.

Our 90078 gate repair company has experienced and knowledgeable technicians and staff that are ready to service/repair all components on your automatic gate. Whether your motherboard has burned in your motor, or your safety sensors are not functioning correctly, we are ready to help you out!

Electric Gate Repair 90078

An electric gate is a gate that is powered via gate opener that is directly connected to your main electrical line. The size of the electric gate and its components vary depending on the size of the property in 90078. The basic set up of an electric gate would feature an underground network of electric cables that will power the electric motor (swing arm or slide) which would be attached to the frame of a gate or ground. The top end electric gate may have more features such as a larger network of cables (including Ethernet and telephone), a 'vault' which contains the control board, timer, photo cells for light and alarm systems, voltage transformers, antennas, safety loops, sensors, and irrigation controls.

Electric gate repair in 90078 is available today and requires an extensive amount of training and knowledge in the mechanics of the gate and electrical engineering to property diagnose and repair the issues that you may experience. It is important to call us to get a proper evaluation on your electrical gate component repair needs.

Solar Gate Repair 90078

The most modern, efficient, and green gate system on the market is the solar powered gate. These types of gates are very similar in terms of how the motor works and functions to the typical electric swing arm and slide gate motors. However, the difference is the source of energy where these motors receive.

The solar gate system is composed of a solar panel, a battery pack, wiring cables, safety loops and sensors, and the main mechanical operator (swing arm or pull chain for slide gate).

The solar panel can range from different power consumption needs, from 5 watts 12VDC, up to 300 watt 24VD; it all depends on how many components are attached to the power source (intercom systems, lights, safety sensors, and etc.)

Solar gate repair in 90078 available today. This type of system requires an expert to inspect the components and to diagnose the issue, and properly replace/repair the faulty parts. You can call us at 877-616-7770 to schedule an appointment with one of our technician today!

Slide Gate Repair 90078

The slide gate is the most popular choice when it comes to protecting your residential or commercial property drive-way, parking lot, or addition to your security system in 90078. This gate does exactly as it is describes, slides from one end to the other. This type of option is best for architectural properties that wish to save space and have horizontal clearance.

This type gate is can be operated by hand, or be equipped with a slide gate motor (electric or solar). The most common components of the hand operated slide gate are: V-shaped gate wheels and/or Cantilever gate wheels, slide gate track (v-shaped and cantilever), slide gate hardware, latch post.

Additional parts if your slide gate is automated are safety sensors, control box, slide gate motor, chain, and solar panels.

The materials which are used to create a slide gate can be iron, wood, steel, glass, vinyl, and a combination of all.

We are able to work on all parts of a slide gate, from electrical to simple welding of the iron bars. We local in 90078 and are here for your entire slide gate repair needs.

V Shaped Gate Wheel Repair in 90078 - V shaped gate wheels are a perfect fit for slide gates that do not use cantilever system and quite easy to replace/repair as most of them work on bearings and v-shaped tracks. It is easy to confuse what type of wheels your gates use, if you need help to identify what type of wheels your gate uses or needs, give us a call today.

Swing Gate Repair 90078

The swing gate is another popular gate for protecting your commercial facility or personal property such as residential house in 90078. The swing gate can come in two different style, single swing, or double swing.

Single Swing Gate is a one piece gate that swings open from either side, left or right. It is usually attached to a metal post, or a fancy upscale decorated brick (or other material). This gate can be either hand operated for budget security, or automated with a single arm extending motor.

Double Swing Gate is a 'barn' style gate, that has two gates on both sides and opens in the middle, either inward or outward. This style of gate is best suited for 90078 properties that have a larger opening driveway (ex. double lane traffic) and need to save space and speed up the operation. It can also be automated with a dual swing arm operator.

The swing gate body does not require a track and operate solely on swing gate wheels.

Our technicians are able to repair your swing gate in 90078 with replacement parts, such as wheels, bearings, hardware, wooden post, iron posts, and more!

Iron Gate Repair 90078

Iron gate repair in 90078 is available on call. We have all the necessary parts to repair, replace, and install iron gates for all type of properties. Front yard iron gate repair, back yard iron gate, security iron gate repair, decorative iron gate repair are some of our services that we provide. We are able to weld broken iron gate bars, replace rusted out iron bars, iron posts, and iron hardware that the gate is connected to.

If your property iron gate in a need of repair, replacement, or new installation, do not hesitate to call us to fill out a service request form for more information on our iron gate repair service in 90078.

Gate Opener Repair 90078

Every automatic gate or electric gate has an automated closing/opening system called a gate opener. These automatic machines have been created for comfort and ease of operation. Many commercial and residential properties have one for allowing remote access for vehicles and foot traffic. As any mechanical part, they are prone to failure and damage. Components of a gate opener can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but the most common are: gate opener motherboard, opener motor, motor chain, opener safety sensors, solar panels, and opener reverse safety loops. The types of gate openers that we repair are the ones that are available on the market (ex. swing gates, slide gates, overhead gates, and custom gate openers.) If you are experiencing any problems and feel like you may require gate repair in 90078 or replacement, go ahead and give us a call @ (877) 616-7770 for a free over the phone or in person estimate (service call may be required).

Symptoms of a failed gate opener:

Loud humming noise

Red/Orange blinking light

Remote control failure

Gate no opening

Swing Gate Opener Repair in 90078 - The swing gate opener can come in many different variations (depending on the manufacturer). One variation of a swing opener is the extending arm, the second is a folding arm. The extending arm swing gate opener would usually be mounted on smaller gates, and gates that have less room for a larger box folding arm opener. The most common problem with the swing gate opener is the failure of a motherboard, rust, and weather damage. We are able to diagnose your swing gate opener and have it repaired. If repairs are not possible than we can recommend you a new swing gate opener installation.

Slide Gate Opener Repair in 90078 - We repair and replace all slide gate openers in the greater 90078 area. We can diagnose and replace all mechanical, electric, and automatic parts on the slide gate opener; including same day repair and installations. The sliding gate opener is one of the most used gate openers in the market all around the world, meaning that there are tens and hundreds of manufacturers which all require special parts and knowledge in their repair. If you see your slide gate 'stutter' or 'jerk' when you attempt to open/close it, than it may be time for a maintenance call. If you are in 90078 CA and experiencing difficulties with your slide gate, or if you feel you may be due for a new slide gate installation, than give us a call right away!

Overhead Gate Opener Repair in 90078 - The overhead gate opener is the most essential part of an overhead gate or overhead security fence. Without the overhead gate opener your security is compromised, flow of traffic stops, frustration begins, causing your business/apartment/storage facility to experience an interruption in everyday activities (lose money too!). If your overhead gate opener in 90078 CA needs repair, or you need new overhead gate opener installation, give Angel Garage Door Repair and Gate a call!

Gate Intercom Repair 90078

The gate intercom comes in many different shapes and forms, but it does one thing the same: help to communicate the outside visitor with the person on the inside of the home/business. The intercom system acts as a connection device and is often installed on a pole in front of a swing/slide/overhead gate.

Telephone entry system is one form of an intercom system, where a user would pick up a telephone handle and dial an extension for communication. These systems are usually installed on apartment complexes and secured business facilities. If your gate telephone entry system needs repair, we should be your first go

Gate Repair Service in 90078

- Gate Repair 90078
- Gates 90078
- Slide gate repair 90078
- Swing gate repair 90078
- Overhead gate repair 90078
- Driveway gate repair 90078
- Gate repair 90078
- Gate safety devices 90078
- Gate reader entry system 90078
- Gate intercom system 90078
- Gate track replacement 90078
- Slide gate wheels replacement 90078
- Gate remote control 90078
- Gate devise 90078
- Electric Gates 90078
- Iron Gates 90078
- Wood Gates 90078
- Glass Gates 90078
- Gate Remote Controls 90078
- Access Devices 90078
- Electric Gate Openers 90078
- Aluminum gate 90078
- Wood gate 90078
- Rod iron gate 90078
- Automatic gates repair 90078
- Gate loop detector 90078


text:
Flat | Semi-Detached | Detached | Terraced | |
Homes sold in the last 12 months | 394 | 560 | 264 | 912 |
Average house prices | £140,041 | £262,377 | £420,861 | £215,958 |
Plymouth in England's South West is a charming yet busy city with a strong naval tradition. It is also a place where property seekers will be spoilt for choice. Property in Plymouth to buy or rent is always in demand, both with locals looking to move within the city, and with newcomers looking to relocate.
Situated on the Devon coast, Plymouth is divided into 20 wards, with private property types covering the entire property spectrum - from cosy, single-roomed flats through modern new build bungalows, to chic mews cottages, stylish townhouses, and elegant mansions (some with amazing sea views).
House prices in Plymouth can be as varied as the property choice on offer which means all budgets can be catered for. Property hunters hoping to find their new ideal home will be able to choose from detached properties, semi-detached, terraced houses, flats and luxury apartments to suit singles, couples and families.
Like the rest of England's South West, the area can see a lot of rain so new home seekers should be prepared for that. Fortunately, once relocated there, home buyers find the city has plenty to distract them from the wet weather!
The city is easy to get to by car, coach, rail, air and sea. Access by road is excellent: the M5, A38 Expressway, A374 and A386 all serve the city.
Plymouth boasts an eclectic choice of cafes, restaurants, pub and bars. Some ooze an incomparable traditional Devon, while others could grace any vibrant metropolis in the country. Plus there is plenty for the city's young crowd to enjoy at night.
Source acknowledgement: House price data produced by Land Registry
This material was last updated on 14 February 2024. It covers the period from 01 January 1995 to 28 December 2023. and contains property transactions which have been registered during that period.
Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right . This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Show Disclaimer Close Disclaimer
Permitted Use: Viewers of this Information are granted permission to access this Crown copyright material and to download it onto electronic, magnetic, optical or similar storage media provided that such activities are for private research, study or in-house use only. Any other use of the material requires the formal written permission of Land Registry which can be requested from us, and is subject to an additional licence and associated charge.


text:
Freethought Blogs was founded by our Glorious Leader Ed Brayton on the principle that many great voices in the community (meaning, at the time, himself and PZ Myers) were being actively squelched in some fields of interest and needed a place where they could blog about atheism, skepticism, humanism, politics, et cetera, without being curtailed on one or any of these topics by their blog overlords. It has since expanded to include more, and better, writers than I, but I am privileged to also call this blog my home, and the compatriots and friends I have made here mean the world to me. Not to mention the total autonomy I have in what I get to talk about and how I get to do it — there is, basically, no hive mind, no dogmatic demand of adherence to any principles in specific. We disagree with one another quite frequently, in fact, but we are comrades where and when it counts. All in all, Freethought Blogs is generally a damn good place to be.
And then some assholes come along and demand the right to piss on your rug. All in the name of "freethought".
Continue reading "Freethought, and freedom to express yourself on someone else's private property"


text:
As we reported yesterday, a group of blues and rock legends assembled at the White House Tuesday evening for a special concert honoring the American Songbook.
One of the highlights of the night was a performance of "Five Long Years" featuring Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Buddy Guy and Gary Clark Jr., and you can watch video of this performance below. We'll have more from the concert later today.
"Five Long Years" is a post-war blues tune written by American pianist Eddie Boyd in 1952. Eric Clapton covered it on his 1994 album, From the Cradle.
In case you haven't seen the video yet, the night concluded with a rendition of "Sweet Home Chicago," which featured an all-star cast of musicians -- and one President Barack Obama on vocals. Check out the video here.


text:
Persons using assistive technology might not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, please send e-mail to: firstname.lastname@example.com. Type 508 Accommodation and the title of the report in the subject line of e-mail. Update: Multistate Outbreak of Mumps --- United States, January 1--May 2, 2006CDC and state and local health departments continue to investigate an outbreak of mumps that began in Iowa in December 2005 (1) and involved at least 10 additional states as of May 2, 2006. This report summarizes preliminary data reported to CDC from these 11 states and provides recommendations to prevent and control mumps during an outbreak. Cases of mumps are reportable through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) (2). NNDSS reports are transmitted electronically to CDC each week and include information on individual cases such as age, sex, date of symptom onset, vaccination status, and complications of illness. Mumps cases included in this report are those with onset from January 1 (MMWR week 1) through April 29 (MMWR week 17) that were reported to CDC as of May 2 through NNDSS (or the Iowa mumps outbreak-specific reporting system) from Iowa and 10 additional states that reported one or more cases of mumps epidemiologically linked to the multistate outbreak. In addition to cases reported through NNDSS, to provide information rapidly during this outbreak, states have been reporting aggregate numbers of mumps cases and mumps-related hospitalizations and complications biweekly to CDC. Cases reported in this manner through May 2, 2006, also are included in this report. The clinical case definition of mumps* is an illness with acute onset of unilateral or bilateral tender, self-limited swelling of the parotid or other salivary gland, lasting 2 or more days, and without other apparent cause. A confirmed case of mumps is one that is laboratory confirmed or meets the clinical case definition and is linked epidemiologically to a confirmed or probable case. A case is classified as probable if it meets the clinical case definition but is neither laboratory-confirmed nor linked to another confirmed or probable mumps case. In accordance with these definitions, asymptomatic, laboratory confirmed infections were counted as confirmed cases in all states except Iowa. In Iowa, laboratory-confirmed cases that were asymptomatic or had clinical information pending, and cases for which high suspicion for mumps existed but case classification was not yet determined were classified as suspect. During January 1--May 2, 11 states reported 2,597 cases of mumps. Eight states (Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Wisconsin) reported mumps outbreaks with ongoing local transmission or clusters of cases; three states (Colorado, Minnesota, and Mississippi) reported cases associated with travel from an outbreak state. The majority of mumps cases (1,487 [57%]) were reported from Iowa; states with the next highest case totals were Kansas (371), Illinois (224), Nebraska (201), and Wisconsin (176) (Figure 1). Of the 2,597 cases reported overall, 1,275 (49%) were classified as confirmed, 915 (35%) as probable, and 287 (11%) as suspect; for 120 (5%) cases, classification was unknown. Twelve mumps viral isolates from six states were characterized; all were mumps genotype G. For 2,067 (80%) of the 2,597 mumps cases with patient age available, the median age was 21 years (range: <1 year to 96 years). In the eight states with outbreaks, the incidence rate was highest among persons aged 18--24 years (17.1 per 100,000 population), followed by persons aged 5--17 years (5.2) and 25--39 years (4.8) (Figure 2). Among the 2,073 patients for whom sex was known, 1,244 (60%) were female. Among the 2,073 cases for which week of onset was known, 1,426 (69%) were reported in April (Figure 3). The peak week of onset has been April 2--8 (week 14) in Iowa and April 16--22 (week 16) in other states. However, additional cases with onset dates in April continue to be reported. Parotitis was reported in 870 (66%) of the 1,327 patients for whom such data were available. Data regarding mumps complications and hospitalizations are incomplete. However, complications have included 27 reports of orchitis, 11 meningitis, four encephalitis, four deafness, and one each of oophoritis, mastitis, pancreatitis, and unspecified complications. A total of 25 hospitalizations were reported, but insufficient data were provided to determine whether mumps caused all the hospitalizations. No deaths have been reported. Vaccination status of reported mumps patients is being ascertained. In Iowa, preliminary vaccination data were reported through May 3, 2006. Among 1,192 patients, 69 (6%) were unvaccinated, 141 (12%) had received 1 dose of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, and 607 (51%) had received 2 doses of MMR vaccine; the vaccination status of 375 (31%) patients, the majority of whom were adults who did not have vaccination records, was unknown. Preliminary data, as of April 10, from two mumps outbreaks on college campuses in an Iowa county affected early in the outbreak, identified attack rates of reported mumps cases§ of 2.0% (31 of 1,542 students) and 3.8% (44 of 1,168 students). Preliminary data from vaccine coverage surveys suggest that the college with the higher attack rate had a smaller proportion (77% versus 97%) of students documented as having received 2 doses of MMR vaccine. As of May 10, a total of 11 persons potentially infected with mumps who traveled by aircraft during March 26--April 25 had been identified on 33 commercial flights operated by eight different airlines. Notifications had either been initiated or completed for persons potentially exposed on all identified flights. As of May 12, of approximately 575 persons potentially exposed on the flights, 132 had received follow-up >25 days after their potential exposure. Two cases of mumps were identified, possibly associated with transmission during air travel. Both cases occurred among Iowa residents, one of whom was a traveling companion of a person known to have mumps. Reported by: K Gershman, MD, S Rios, D Woods-Stout, Colorado Dept of Public Health and Environment. M Dworkin, MD, K Hunt, Illinois Dept of Public Health. DC Hunt, MPH, J Hill, MPH, Kansas Dept of Health and Environment. P Quinlisk, MD, M Harris, MPH, Iowa Dept of Public Health. C Kenyon, MPH, Minnesota Dept of Health. C Evans, K Mills McNeill, MD, PhD, RG Travnicek, MD, Mississippi Dept of Health. B Zhu, MD, E Hedrick, HL Marx Jr, R Renicker, MSA, Missouri Dept of Health and Senior Svcs. AL O'Keefe, MD, T Safranek, MD, Nebraska Health and Human Svcs System. S Slagy, S Silvestri, Allegheny County Health Dept; J Sullivan, York City Health Bur; J Mankowski, Erie County Health Dept; R Grill, K Luckenbill, P Lurie, MD, R Rickert, MPH, H Stafford, Pennsylvania Dept of Health. S Gannon, L Kightlinger, PhD, South Dakota Dept of Health. J Berg, J Davis, MD, J Gabor, Wisconsin Dept of Health and Family Svcs. F Averhoff, MD, K Marienau, MD, Div of Global Migration and Quarantine; M Bell, MD, E Bolyard, MPH, C McDonald, MD, A Srinivasan, MD, Div of Healthcare Quality Promotion, National Center for Preparedness, Detection, and Control of Infectious Diseases (proposed); TA Santibanez, PhD, and J Santoli, MD, Immunization Svcs Div, SW Roush, MPH, PU Srivastava, MS, Div of Bacterial Diseases, L Anderson, MD, B Bellini, PhD, CB Bridges, MD, G Dayan, MD, ST Goldstein, MD, M Marin, MD, U Parashar, MD, S Redd, S Reef, MD, J Rota, MPH, PA Rota, PhD, J Seward, MBBS, C Shawney, Div of Viral Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (proposed); A Huang, MD, A Parker, MSN, MPH, T Shimabukuro, MD, EIS officers, CDC. Editorial Note:In the United States, the reported incidence of mumps declined after introduction of mumps vaccine in 1967 and the recommendation for its routine use in 1977 (3). After expanded recommendations for a 2-dose MMR vaccine schedule for measles control in 1989 (3), mumps cases declined further (Figure 4). During 2001--2003, fewer than 300 mumps cases were reported each year, a 99% decline from the 185,691 cases reported in 1968 (2). The current multistate mumps outbreak, with 2,597 cases reported through May 2, 2006, is the largest number of mumps cases reported to CDC in a single year since 1991, when 4,264 cases were reported (2). The first cases in the current outbreak were detected on a college campus in eastern Iowa in December 2005; the source of these initial cases is unknown (1). Although the age group most affected (38% of cases) has been young adults aged 18--24 years, many of whom are college students, the outbreak has spread to all age groups (1). Multiple factors might have contributed to the spread of mumps in this outbreak and on college campuses. First, the college campus environment (e.g., living in dormitories with frequent and extended close contact with other students) facilitates transmission of mumps and other illnesses that are spread through respiratory and oral secretions. Second, only 25 states¶ and the District of Columbia report a college admission requirement of 2 doses of MMR vaccine, including three of the 11 states with outbreak-associated cases of mumps; no data on implementation and evaluation of the 2-dose college admission requirement are available (CDC, unpublished data, 2006). Thus, 2-dose coverage with mumps-containing vaccine among college students likely is lower than the median 97% (range: 57%--99%) coverage for measles-containing vaccine (almost exclusively administered as MMR vaccine) for students entering elementary school and the median 98% (range: 62%--99%) coverage for students entering middle school reported in 2000 from 38 and 25 states, respectively (4). Third, delayed recognition and diagnosis of mumps cases might have contributed to the spread in this outbreak; younger physicians in the United States likely have not seen mumps, and physicians might not consider the diagnosis in vaccinated persons. Fourth, 2 doses of MMR vaccine are not 100% effective in preventing disease, and accumulation of susceptible persons who were not successfully immunized might be sufficient to sustain transmission in certain settings. In addition, the vaccine might be less effective in preventing asymptomatic infection or atypical mumps than in preventing parotitis, and persons with asymptomatic infection or mild disease might contribute to transmission. Finally, waning immunity has been postulated as a contributing factor in this outbreak. Young adults aged 18--24 years would most commonly have received their most recent dose of mumps-containing vaccine (i.e., MMR vaccine) 6--17 years ago. High vaccination coverage with 2 doses of MMR vaccine, especially in school-aged populations in the United States, likely prevented thousands of additional cases of mumps in this outbreak. Postlicensure studies conducted in the United States during 1973--1989 determined that 1 dose of mumps or MMR vaccine was 75%--91% effective in preventing mumps with parotitis that lasts >2 days (5). Although fewer data are available on the effectiveness of 2 doses of MMR vaccine against mumps, one study from the United Kingdom documented vaccine effectiveness of 88% with 2 doses (6). In a mumps outbreak in a high school in Kansas, students vaccinated with 1 dose of MMR vaccine had an attack rate five times that of students vaccinated with 2 doses (7). In a mumps outbreak in a middle school in 1982, before mumps vaccination became widespread, attack rates of 25%--49% occurred among unvaccinated students, depending on how cases were ascertained (8). During 1986--1990, after widespread implementation of a 1-dose mumps vaccination policy, attack rates of 2%--18% (most >6%) were documented in mumps outbreaks among junior high and high school students with vaccination coverage of >95% (7,9). In contrast, preliminary data from two colleges in Iowa during the current outbreak identified attack rates of 2.0% and 3.8%, respectively, with the lower attack rate in the college with higher 2-dose vaccination coverage. To prevent mumps, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends a 2-dose MMR vaccination series for all children, with the first dose administered at ages 12--15 months and the second dose at ages 4--6 years (3). Two doses of MMR vaccine are recommended for school and college entry unless the student has other evidence of immunity (3). In a specially convened meeting on May 17, 2006, ACIP redefined evidence of immunity to mumps through vaccination as follows: 1 dose of a live mumps virus vaccine** for preschool children and adults not at high risk; 2 doses for children in grades K--12 and adults at high risk (i.e., persons who work in health-care facilities, international travelers, and students at post-high school educational institutions). Other criteria for evidence of immunity (i.e., birth before 1957, documentation of physician-diagnosed mumps, or laboratory evidence of immunity) are unchanged. Furthermore, health-care facilities should consider recommending 1 dose of MMR vaccine to unvaccinated health-care workers born before 1957 who do not have other evidence of mumps immunity. During an outbreak and depending on the epidemiology of the outbreak (e.g., the age groups and/or institutions involved), a second dose of vaccine should be considered for adults and for children aged 1--4 years who have received 1 dose. The second dose should be administered as early as 28 days after the first dose, the minimum recommended interval between 2 MMR vaccine doses. In addition, during an outbreak, health-care facilities should strongly consider recommending 2 doses of MMR vaccine to unvaccinated workers born before 1957 who do not have other evidence of mumps immunity. An MMWR Notice to Readers will be published, summarizing these interim recommendations in more detail. Additional means to decrease transmission in outbreak settings include exclusion of persons without evidence of immunity to mumps from institutions such as schools and colleges that are affected by the outbreak. Once vaccinated, students and staff can be readmitted to school immediately, even if they have been exposed to a case of mumps. The period of exclusion for those who remain unvaccinated is 26 days after the onset of parotitis in the last person in the affected institution. Students who acquire mumps illness should be excluded from school until 9 days after the onset of parotitis. After an exposure to mumps, unvaccinated health-care workers without evidence of immunity should be vaccinated and excluded from duty from the 12th day after the first exposure through the 26th day after the last exposure. Health-care workers with mumps illness should be excluded from work until 9 days after the onset of parotitis. In response to the current outbreak, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) issued vaccination recommendations in March targeting college campus and health-care worker populations at high risk. On April 14, CDC issued a Health Advisory Notice summarizing vaccine policy recommendations for mumps prevention and control. In conjunction with local health departments, IDPH launched a statewide vaccination campaign during April 24--26, targeting persons aged 18--22 years in the 35 Iowa counties with the state's largest colleges and universities. In the second phase of the campaign, conducted May 2--4, vaccination was expanded to the remaining 64 counties, targeting persons aged 18--25 years. A third phase of the vaccination campaign was begun May 10 and targets persons aged 18--46 years. Vaccination activities also are being conducted or planned in Kansas, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The data presented in this report are preliminary; the case count is likely to change as additional data become available. Certain reported cases might not have been caused by mumps; cases in persons without parotitis might have been misclassified on the basis of serologic tests. Because of the low number of reported mumps cases during the last decade, laboratorians have limited experience with mumps tests, particularly IgM antibody tests (10). Several different mumps IgM antibody tests are in use; however, neither the sensitivities nor specificities of these tests when used with serum specimens from either unvaccinated or vaccinated persons have been clearly defined. Consequently, interpretation of these antibody test results is difficult, especially in previously vaccinated persons. Studies to define the sensitivity and specificity of mumps IgM antibody tests and reverse transcription--polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests for mumps virus RNA are in progress. CDC continues to work with state and local health departments to conduct mumps surveillance, assist with prevention and control activities, and evaluate vaccine effectiveness, duration of immunity, and risk factors for mumps illness. References
* Available at http://www.cste.org/ps/1999/1999-id-09.htm. Available at http://www.idph.state.ia.us/adper/common/pdf/mumps/mumps_update_050406.pdf. § Defined as isolation of mumps virus from a clinical specimen; parotitis or orchitis; or submaxillary or submental swelling. ¶ Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Virginia. ** Combined MMR vaccine generally should be used whenever any of its component vaccines are indicated. For children aged 1--12 years, MMRV vaccine can be considered if varicella vaccine is indicated. Figure 1 Return to top. Figure 2 Return to top. Figure 3 Return to top. Figure 4 Return to top.
Disclaimer All MMWR HTML versions of articles are electronic conversions from ASCII text into HTML. This conversion may have resulted in character translation or format errors in the HTML version. Users should not rely on this HTML document, but are referred to the electronic PDF version and/or the original MMWR paper copy for the official text, figures, and tables. An original paper copy of this issue can be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402-9371; telephone: (202) 512-1800. Contact GPO for current prices. **Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to firstname.lastname@example.com last reviewed: 5/18/2006 |


text:
Everyone is still talking about the parade, people are hoping for another pig roast and the smiley face that was mysteriously painted in the parking lot at Wunderler's Market remains. Nearly a year after the 275th Anniversary Celebration in Bath, the excitement has not worn off. And just to make sure the memories of that special week live on, the anniversary committee and co-chair Fiorella Mirabito are proud to announce that the Bath 275th Anniversary Book is currently being printed.
The anniversary book, roughly 100 pages filled with memories, photographs and news clippings collected by the Anniversary committee from the celebration that spanned nearly two and half years will be on sale in early June. Quantities of the publication will be limited so get your copies early. The hard cover book will be available at the Bath Borough Office, Daily Grind, Hayes Flowers and S. Seem Antiques & Artisans for $26. The cost covers the production of the book and any funds raised will be put to the general fund of the Borough.


text:
- 1 1/2 pound Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions, divided
- 6 tablespoons annatto oil, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
- 6 ounces Münster cheese, coarsely grated (2 cups)
Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Cover potatoes with cold water in a medium pot, then stir in 1 teaspoon salt and simmer until very tender, about 18 minutes.
While potatoes simmer, cook garlic and 1/3 cup scallions in 2 tablespoons annatto oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in cumin and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add tomato and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add milk and bring to a bare simmer, then remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until combined well. Keep peanut sauce warm, covered, off heat.
Drain potatoes, then mash in a bowl.
Cook remaining 1/2 cup scallions with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in 2 tablespoons annatto oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until scallions are softened, then stir into potatoes along with cheese. Form potato mixture into 8 balls and flatten each into a 3-inch patty.
Heat 1 tablespoon annatto oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot, then fry cakes in 2 batches, turning over once, until crusty, about 6 minutes per batch. Add remaining tablespoon annatto oil for second batch.
Gently reheat peanut sauce, thinning to a creamy consistency with a little water if necessary. Season sauce with salt and serve with potato cakes.
Gourmet, September 2007


text:
Are you looking for the perfect non-toxic and permanent scratch remover painting pen? Look no further than our Car Paint Pen! Carefully crafted to meet the highest standards of quality, this powerful yet concise pen is your go-to solution for restoring clear coats. With its water-resistant make up, you can be sure that your paintwork won't suffer in any weather. Whether you're a professional or an amateur car enthusiast, this product has also been designed with convenience and ease of use in mind. Thanks to its special formula, this paint pen allows for quick drying to ensure that your painting comes out the way you want it to without fuss. Plus, the instructions are easy and straightforward - so start scratching away today with our Car Paint Pen!
Description:Brand New and High Quality.External Material: PlasticColor: As Shown
Package Includes:1pc Car Paint PenNo Retail Box. Packed Safely in Bubble Bag.
We have a 30-day return policy, which means you have 30 days after receiving your item to request a return.
To be eligible for a return, your item must be in the same condition that you received it, unworn or unused, with tags, and in its original packaging. You'll also need the receipt or proof of purchase.
To start a return, you can contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com.
If your return is accepted, we'll send you a return shipping label, as well as instructions on how and where to send your package. Items sent back to us without first requesting a return will not be accepted.
You can always contact us for any return question at email@example.com.
Damages and issues
Please inspect your order upon reception and contact us immediately if the item is defective, damaged or if you receive the wrong item, so that we can evaluate the issue and make it right.
Exceptions / non-returnable items
Certain types of items cannot be returned, like perishable goods (such as food, flowers, or plants), custom products (such as special orders or personalized items), and personal care goods (such as beauty products). We also do not accept returns for hazardous materials, flammable liquids, or gases. Please get in touch if you have questions or concerns about your specific item.
Unfortunately, we cannot accept returns on sale items or gift cards.
The fastest way to ensure you get what you want is to return the item you have, and once the return is accepted, make a separate purchase for the new item.
European Union 14 day cooling off period
Notwithstanding the above, if the merchandise is being shipped into the European Union, you have the right to cancel or return your order within 14 days, for any reason and without a justification. As above, your item must be in the same condition that you received it, unworn or unused, with tags, and in its original packaging. You'll also need the receipt or proof of purchase.
We will notify you once we've received and inspected your return, and let you know if the refund was approved or not. If approved, you'll be automatically refunded on your original payment method within 10 business days. Please remember it can take some time for your bank or credit card company to process and post the refund too.
If more than 15 business days have passed since we've approved your return, please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com.
If you have a multi-item order, each item may be shipped from a different international warehouse, depending on which one has them available the fastest. Alternatively, if an item is popular and on a bit of a back order, we might ship your items at different times, in different packages, to prevent holding up your order and to get it to you as fast as possible.
Orders are shipped out directly from any of our many domestic & international warehouses and they will do everything they can to get you your order as fast as they can. Due to the popularity of our offers, please allow an estimated 1-2 weeks for your order to arrive in the USA (varies from product to product). Other countries can take an estimated 1-3 weeks (varies from product to product) due to distance traveling and customs. Please note, that due to the extreme popularity of our offers, these are only estimates.
All of our orders are sent with insured shipping and handling. If an order gets stuck at customs, sent back or even lost during the delivery process, we apologize. The postal service is out of our control. However, in cases like this, because the packages are insured, we will send you a new package with quicker shipping and full tracking, if possible. Please see our refund and return policy for when these might be applicable to shipping situations.
The prices displayed on our site are tax-free in USD, which means you may be liable to pay for duties and taxes once you receive your order. Import taxes, duties and related customs fees may be charged once your order arrives at its final destination, which are determined by your local customs office. Payment of these charges and taxes are your responsibility and will not be covered by us. We are not responsible for delays caused by the customs department in your country. For further details of charges, please contact your local customs office.
Thanks for subscribing!
This email has been registered!


text:
Lyrics Depot is your source of lyrics to Flow (Cadillac Pimpin') by Chamillionaire. Please check back for more Chamillionaire lyrics.
Flow (Cadillac Pimpin') Lyrics
Artist: Chamillionaire
Album: Greatest Hits
[Chamillionaire - Talking]
Uh-Huh, (G'-G'-G'-G'-G'Yeah G'Yeah)
Color Changin' Click cutty, (G'-G'-G'-G'-G'Yeah G'Yeah)
(G'-G'-G'-G'-G'Yeah G'Yeah)
It's that..damn..Ro' (Ay, Look)
Lew Hawk (G'-G'-G'-G'-G'Yeah G'Yeah)
Koopa baby (G'-G'-G'-G'-G'Yeah G'Yeah)
Tell em' mayne (G'-G'-G'-G'-G'Yeah G'Yeah)
Yeah (G'-G'-G'-G'-G'Yeah G'Yeah)
(G'-G'-G'-G'-G'Yeah G'Yeah)
-Ay, Ay
You say that you want fire, come hire the messiah
You say that their's one higher then Koopa, there's none liar
I got athletic compadre's that'll run by ya
And pitch that white thing in ya hand like a umpire
Come try a nigga like me, the flow is so complex
If you hatin'..don't come cuz after that comes plex
in the form of 2 ladies who act like they want sex
Put her tongue in ya mouth no, put the heat to your chest? yes
I call em' ho watts, take orders like robots
Then come home with all the dough you got hiding in yo socks, G'yeah
(Hold up, my mind movin' to fast for me..lemme catch up with myself, yeah yeah)
Head-bustas lurkin' while I lurk
Put a squirt in that guys shirt
Cuz they know how much I'm worth
And go bankrupt if I'm hurt
A laundromat holder to go put that iron to that guys shirt
Don't matter where you plant your foot on the earth you on my turf
Got boys in Oakcliff, that's deep in that drug zone
That'll go put that glove on, then go put that snub on
Then put it to your dome, and won't miss you when you're gone
"It's So Hard To Say Goodbye's" in there song
So don't think it's gon' be no apology
My dough alot of G's plus I know alot of G's
Better do it D'Bo style and snatch yo Impala keys
No back talkin' nigga just unload ya pockets please
Do I look like Al B.Sure to you?
Keep a gat and next time I'll be sure it's 2
I'll have ya matchin' the blue view a little more then who
That nigga Killa hit a nigga and that boy 'll be blue
Like the color blue you know I'm royal
Something for you, I'll destroy you
Heat so far in ya cheeks the lava in ya cheek 'll boil
And I hope ya tongue burn, gon' learn that no perm
Can get ya head hotter then what I got if my dough turn-up
missin', I'm wit 2 cheeks and I ain't gon' leave no firm
I get in hoes like dudes with a handle on a low turn
Yeah, if I turn rapper or run with a hyp deal
Lose the right, or move not Chamill just a (King Of The South)
G'Yeah G'Yeah
(T.I. - Talking)
Chamillionaire Lyrics
Chamillionaire Greatest Hits Lyrics
More Chamillionaire Music Lyrics:
Chamillionaire - Can't Give U D World Lyrics
Chamillionaire - Flow (Can't Deny It) Lyrics
Chamillionaire - Flow (Hot Girl) Lyrics
Chamillionaire - Flow (Runnin' The Game) Lyrics
Chamillionaire - Flow (They Ain't Ready) Lyrics
Chamillionaire - Rock Star Lyrics
Chamillionaire - Still (N Love With My Money) Lyrics
Chamillionaire - Think I'm Crazy Lyrics


text:
Presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said the physicians caring for Mandela had given no indication of an "imminent discharge" from a hospital in Pretoria, the capital, according to IOL, a South African news website.
"At this stage there is no update on his condition and his doctors have given no indication" about when Mandela could be discharged, IOL quoted Maharaj as saying Saturday. IOL is owned by Independent Newspapers, a national group that publishes 15 newspapers.
Mandela was hospitalized on Dec. 8. He was diagnosed with a lung infection and also had gallstone surgery; officials have said his condition has improved and that he was responding to treatment. President Jacob Zuma acknowledged several days ago that Mandela's condition had been serious.
"They (the doctors) say there is no crisis, but add that they are in no hurry to send him home just yet until they are satisfied that he has made sufficient progress," Maharaj said, according to IOL.
"We urge the public to continue supporting Madiba," he said, using Mandela's clan name, an affectionate term. Maharaj appealed for people to "understand that he is 94 years old and needs extraordinary care."
The Sunday Times, a South African newspaper that is not part of the media group that owns IOL, also said Mandela was likely to spend Christmas in hospital care. It did not cite a source. The newspaper quoted Maharaj as saying that rumors of a rapid deterioration in Mandela's health were "completely false and baseless."
South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu said he is praying for a prompt recovery for Mandela. Radio 702, a South African station, on Sunday broadcast an interview with Tutu in which he said he exchanged telephone text messages about Mandela with the anti-apartheid icon's wife, Graca Machel.
Tutu and Mandela are Nobel laureates because of their role in the struggle against white minority rule. Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years and served one five-year term as president after he was elected in South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994.


text:
Architect's Actualised Adventure Game
This bizarre story shows you what happens when architects attack: they try to create Myst-style adventure games in the real world. Thanks to the deep pockets of the owners of a 5th Avenue apartment in Manhattan, a chap named Eric Clough was able devise an apartment-wide puzzle, complete with original ciphers, a clue book, and various obscure puzzle mechanisms. (SOUND FAMILIAR?)
"furniture and some of those walls conceal secrets — messages, games and treasures — that make up a Rube Goldberg maze of systems and contraptions conceived by a young architectural designer named Eric Clough, whose ideas about space and domestic living derive more from Buckminster Fuller than Peter Marino."
Or perhaps they derive from John Walker's nightmares about the return of Cryo.
(Photo: Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times. Fair use! Probably.)